Never Forget Tea
by MaiumiTaniyama
Summary: After a simple accident of forgetting to pack tea for a case, Mai finds herself having to travel to the nearby town to get some. But what exactly happens as she attempts to appease the wrath she caused in Naru? And what might possibly happen as a result of those events?


**3rd person, Limited, Mai Taniyama**

The moment that Mai looked into her bag, her face paled. She could've sworn that she packed her emergency Chamomile and Earl Grey tea into her bag. This made her start to go through her clothing again, making sure to look into every pocket, corner, and unmarked bag that she wasn't certain regarding the contents.

But it wasn't there.

And she had promised that she had some after Naru said that there was no tea packed in the van. Something in her knew that she was in deep for such a lookover since he was practically addicted to the drink. Slowly letting her hands come to a stop, she grimaced at the thought before whining. "Naru's gonna kill someone…"

"Why would I do that, Mai?" The voice she heard made the poor brunette freeze in place, eyes wide as she took a moment to process the situation. At this point, she felt she had two choices. Be upfront with him about the mistake she made, and do her best to make up for it, or run and try to survive.

That second option felt very, very tempting initially.

But after a moment of thought, Mai slowly turned around, her throat dry as she forced a smile onto her face. "I.. I um… Apparently, I didn't… Really… Pack any of my tea materials?"

The glare she got made her shrink in size. But when she watched him cross his arms and simply stare, she almost felt as if she would be free from any sort of torture as a result of her forgetfulness.

"Mai," Naru spoke up, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Y-yes?..."

"Find the nearest store and get tea for the case." Closing his eyes, he simply turned away and started to stalk back to base. This left Mai confused for a moment until she saw the way things were vibrating around her. This made her realize that he was terribly holding back his anger, and she should likely hurry to do as he asked.

"Y-you got it, boss!" She squeaked out, hand reaching for her phone to find the nearest store that might possibly have what she needed to properly brew tea. As she quickly tapped away, typing out an attempt to use her GPS in order to find a store, she grew a bit more nervous than before. What if there wasn't a store that would have what she needed? Would it mean that she would be getting those glares for the entire case?...

Shaking her head, her eyes stuck to the screen, as she looked through the results of her search. "Come on, come on…" Mai muttered to herself when she came across a possible solution. It was one of the names that she usually bought from when she wanted some good tea compared to the usual, and it wasn't too far from where she was at the moment! It would be pricey, but given how Naru was practically about to make someone float, she found it to be a good apology to get him some expensive tea that she could make for him.

Shutting her bag and moving it onto the floor, Mai then made her way over to the door, then to the front of the location. It was both where the front doors and base was located. She made sure to go to base first so that she could announce her departure.

Peeking in through the door, she noticed that the only ones in the room were Naru, Lin, and Monk. She felt herself growing curious, but she knew that she had to hurry and get to the store. "I'm going out for a bit!"

The moment she said that Monk had snapped his head towards Mai. "Woah, woah, where you going, kiddo?"

The teenager smiled sheepishly as she responded, "There's a store walking distance away that sells tea bags and stuff. I'm just gonna go over there and get a few things so that we have something to drink other than water for the case."

The older brunette's eyebrow perked up at the excuse, before looking back at Naru. "Are you sure it's a good idea for her to be going out on her own, Naru? Especially with the information we were given?"

Naru seemed to think about it for just a moment before responding, refusing to look up from his notes, "Her phone should work around here, so even if she were to get into trouble, I would expect she would be smart enough to give someone a call to help her."

"Ah…" Monk rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I suppose that's true, isn't it?" He then gazed over towards Mai. "Don't be too long, alright? And like Naru said, give one of us a call if something happens."

"Will do!" Mai raised her phone up, as reassurance that she had it on her, before putting it in her pocket and going over to the door. She thought she heard talking in base, but she prompted herself to ignore it for the moment. Opening the door, the brunette took in a breath of the somewhat fresh air that the outdoors held. While they were just outside of a town, the house and actual town was separated between about half a square mile of trees.

Unlike when it was just a city, or just land stretching for miles, this place had a strange aura regarding it. Mai wished that she had the words to describe it, but it felt difficult for her to find them, no matter how hard she tried.

Making sure that the door was shut, she then recalled what the map said. It was just on the other side of the trees from the house, albeit a bit off to the side from the road, so it should be a ten-minute walk tops; As long as she didn't get lost. So, she assumed that it would take about half an hour to make the full trip if she was able to figure things out on her own.

Before she knew it, her feet were taking her to the side of the road. She had been about to start her trek when she caught sight of something from the corner of her eyes. She tilted her head and parted her lips at the sight of a path within the trees. "A path?..."

Mai thought about this for a long moment. Wouldn't it be safer to go through the woods instead of risking it walking next to the road? She especially knew that it wouldn't look good if Naru found out that she got hit by a car after what she was told about Gene. And by that train of logic, she went over to the path, looking down towards where it seemed to disappear.

If anything, it looked relaxing to go down. And it drove her to start to walk down it with little to no thought. Push comes to shove, she could move off of it and keep on heading the same direction she intended to go anyways. And the woods were technically the property of the building that she and the others were investigating, so there was nothing wrong with her being there. She might run into some other teenagers messing around, or something, but the place felt so quiet that it would be the worst that could happen.

As Mai treaded onwards, she looked around the area. There seemed to be next to no trash and the woods seemed well taken care of. The path she was on was also well-used, from how worn-in it was. She assumed that people liked to go on this path to relax and cared about preserving nature if that was the case. It made her happy to think about the idea of people still caring about the world in that sense.

At one point, she noticed a barren circle that was near the dirt walkway but wasn't quite on it, either. The entire circle was lacking life, plants or otherwise. It also had holes in five places, which made her wonder for a moment if it was used as a type of campsite or even possibly just somewhere people go to make a fire and tell stories. After all, the circle seemed too small for a tent.

Her legs slowed down for a moment as she stared at the area when she swore she felt shivers go through her body. That area, in particular, gave off a very, very different feeling compared to what she felt before. It wasn't a serene type of empty, it was a dangerous kind. That things happened that shouldn't have. Forcing herself to take a breath, she looked away and continued forward. It would be worth mentioning this place to the others when she got back if she was getting such odd feelings.

But as quickly as she noticed it, Mai snapped out of the miniature trance and started to head towards her destination. Thankfully enough, it felt like it didn't take as long to get from that spot of dirt to the road she wanted than from the house to that same place.

It led to an alleyway, which resulted in not only being on the street she wanted but also right next to the building that hopefully had what she needed. As she stepped out of the separation between buildings, her face lit up and she went into the shop with a grin on her face, satisfied with the results of her risk.

Looking around for a moment, she attempted to find the section she was looking for by looks alone. She was used to her usual store so she was sure that she would be a bit lost in trying to find what she was searching for, but Mai was at least hoping that asking for help wouldn't be needed. Her feet moved before she knew it, and she got a basket to carry her things in.

Instinct was her friend on this day, as she had almost instantly gone to just the isles she was looking for. Teabags, loose tea, mint leaves, among other things were soon safely collected in the basket. The teenager looked into her pocket to make sure she had her wallet and money for the purchases she was about to make before approaching the counter.

"Good afternoon," The cashier spoke mindlessly, "Did you find what you were looking for alright?"

Mai nodded, as she put the basket on the counter, "I did, yes. I'm glad they have the same stock here as in Tokyo."

That seemed to get the woman's attention, as she started to ring up each item. "The Tokyo store? So you're not from around here, then?"

"No," Mai replied, "I'm here with some co-workers for business, is all."

"I see," The female continued her work for a moment, before asking, "What kind of business, may I ask?"

"Ah," Mai was slightly surprised by the question, but then she realized. This was a good chance to get information from a local. "We're over in that building on the other side of the woodline, just looking around." The brunette then looked around, seeing that the place was empty, before looking back towards the worker. "I am curious, are there any sort of rumors about that area?"

The cashier seemed nervous about the idea of telling details of something, but then she gazed into Mai's eyes. Mai assumed that she felt guilty, and that was why she spoke up. "Well… Don't tell anyone I told you, but… Apparently cults from around the area gather in those woods from time to time to do their sacrifices. It's just a rumor, but that's why no one goes around there anymore nowadays. Strange things always happen to those who do."

Mai had wide eyes, taking in the information, before pursing her lips, "Have you been given examples of things that happen?"

The woman shook her head, "I haven't. I'm newer to the town and know better. But the teenagers and some older folk have stories galore. If you can bribe them, I'm sure they'll talk." The last item was rung up, and the cashier stated the total. "The total is four thousand, three hundred fifty-nine yen."

Mai pulled out a five thousand note from her wallet and handed it to the female.

"Your change is six hundred forty-one yen." The note went into the register, and the change came out. Mai opened her hand and received the change. She then shut the item and put it back in her pocket. The brunette then also accepted the bag of items with a smile.

"Thank you," The worker said, "Have a nice day."

"You too!" Mai ended the conversation cheerfully, before leaving the store.

Despite her cheerfulness, the information she was given gave her chills down her spine. The fact that it was said around town that a cult did sacrifices was unnerving, and she was unsure if she should go back through those same woods in order to get back to the building. Pursing her lips, she stared towards the ally for the longest time.

Despite what was said, it wasn't very likely that there was suddenly a cult there, right? And if she were quick, she wouldn't walk in on them entering the area. If she hurried along and made no stops, she was sure that she would be safe.

Every fiber of Mai's being told her to not go in, or to at least message Monk about the detail she got. Even though that was the case, she decided against her own instincts and started to make her way back to the path. Her footsteps were light but quick. Swiftly pacing herself down the path was forcing herself to remain determined.

But then she started to hear voices.

It sounded like at least eight people, all in sync and speaking. At first, the sound was faint enough for her to be unable to tell what the words were. However, as she went onwards, the voices started to get clearer. And the beat that they were going made her freeze in her tracks and gain shocked eyes.

Was that… Chanting?!

Forcing her eyes shut, she shook her head. There was no way! It had to be her imagination after what the cashier told her. However, she started to jog, as a way to hurry back where she knew it was safe.

Eventually, Mai came across that same dirt patch from before, and she stopped in her tracks to look towards it. She felt as if the voices were right by her. However, when she looked towards the circle, it was empty. Swallowing, she slowly walked forward, taking careful steps and attempting to keep herself calm, despite the situation. Closing her eyes, she took a decent few steps forward, until she was fairly certain she was on the other side of the circle.

However, she regretted opening her eyes.

What was suddenly there shook her to the core. Unlike the bare plot of land previously, there was a group of people in a circle. These people had black robes on, and she swore they each had a plague doctor's mask on. The holes had torches in them, and there was a circle made from something she was unsure if she wanted to know about. The brunette couldn't see the middle, and she found herself glad that was so.

Frozen in place, Mai found it hard to breathe. As if when she did, they would notice her, and she didn't want to know what would happen. However, the bag in her hand made the choice of being seen for her.

Every single figure in the circle snapped their heads towards her, and adrenaline-filled the girl's body, along with fear. The next thing she knew, she was running as quickly as she could forward, hoping up and down that she wouldn't be followed.

"Goodness no, goodness no," Mai shook her head as she said that, the scenarios appearing in her mind making her ill. Despite all logic telling her to not look back, she ended up doing so.

They were all sweeping the area behind her, with cloaked beings making up a large amount of what she saw. Nearly screaming in shock, her feet moved even quicker than before.

It felt as if time slowed for her. As if it would never end and she would be stuck forever trying to run away, despite her draining energy and speed. The sounds of other people running filled her senses, as she swore they got closer, but she feared to look back a second time.

At one point, her legs liquefied on her, and she stumbled. Her free hand caught a tree, which she used to push herself forward in order to simply keep going. That was all she felt she could do. Keep moving, and pray. And she was doing her best to do both.

Over time, her breaths grew ragged, and her movement became less fluid. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she thought that it was someone trying to call her, due to the extended vibrations. However, she couldn't find it in her to answer. She didn't want whoever answered to hear her final voice, which she assumed would be screams of terror. Tears filled her eyes and the blurriness assisted her in not knowing if she was even going the right direction or not to get back to base.

After some time, and when she swore that her legs were going to give out, she caught sight of a break in the treeline. This made her gasp in relief, and force herself onwards. Just as she was a few feet from freedom, she forced herself to look backward for the second and final time.

No one was there.

Then she was out of the trees, flying out of the woodline and bolting straight for the front door. Panting heavily, she had trouble opening the door and even opened it the wrong way before finally entering inside. Mai then slammed the door shut, her eyes like pinpoints as she allowed herself to breathe.

The bag of goods fell to the floor, and Mai leaned against the door, trying to find it in her to calm down. As she slid down the door, the tears in her eyes escaped to her cheeks, and she shook heavily. That entire experience… Was terrifying. She swore she really was going to get caught and goodness knows what would've happened.

All she knew for certain was, that the cashier wasn't wrong, and she was never going to get anything on her own during a case again.

**Hey there, I'm back with another work for the Fanworks Week event happening in the fandom at the moment. This makes two out of five complete, with two multi-chapters and another one shot to go.**

**This is intended to be a one-shot, however, I do have the plot of the case for this in my notes. If this gets enough attention I'll likely finish up the case for fun, once things calm down. And at some point, I'm sure I'll implement this into a more long-term fanfiction of mine if it ever fits in. That or make a compilation of cases I've done that don't fit anywhere else and stuff it all into a single title. Until then, this is all I got to offer as I have more chapters to write and never enough time to write them!**


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